I Want Something Just Like This
by upwiththebirds33
Summary: Phillip and Anne are finally together, but they still have to deal with lots of Judgy New Yorkers (that's what I call them), including Phillip's parents. What will happen? Will they ever be able to get married without others judging them? SUSPENSE! Rated T for some violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter** **One**

P.T. Barnum was completely exhausted. He hadn't had anything to eat since six this morning, and it was late afternoon. He slumped against the chair in his office. No matter how fun it was, running a circus was hard work. He was almost done with the paperwork he had to do and then he would head home. He sighed. P.T. had never been good at sitting still, at a desk, doing paperwork. Normally, it was the job of Phillip Carlyle, his business partner and friend. Phillip was good with numbers and papers. Phillip was also gone at his parents' house. He had told P.T. that he was going to try and smooth things over with his parents, but he should have been back by now—it had been a week. P.T. pushed the papers aside and stood up. He could finish them tomorrow morning. He grabbed his hat and coat and walked outside.

When he got to the door, he had to knock because he had forgotten the key. Anne Wheeler, a smiling, caramel-skinned young woman answered.

"Hi P.T.!" she said.

"Hey Anne," P.T. said. "How are you? Have you heard anything from Phillip?" Anne's smile vanished and she shook her head.

"Nothing since last Wednesday, when he left," she told him. "Anyway, come on inside. I made coffee cake." She offered a weak smile as she stepped inside.

The house was big enough to fit all the circus performers, with a big main hall with a kitchen off to the left. The whole circus, minus the animals, lived here, so they needed plenty of space and were always adding new rooms. P.T. hung his coat in the front hall and walked towards the kitchen and the promise of Anne's famous coffee cake. He served himself a big piece for a late lunch and walked outside.

Later that evening, after dinner, Anne mumbled something about going to bed early and left during the middle of War, her favorite card game. Lettie looked after her, a puzzled expression on her face.

"What was that?" she asked, directing the question towards W.D., Anne's big brother. W.D. shrugged and resumed playing cards with one of the albino twins, the greatest card players in the whole circus. Lettie still looked confused, but decided not to press the issue, as W.D. was very intent on winning his game. P.T. grabbed Anne's cards and asked Lettie if she wanted to keep playing. Lettie agreed and they finished the game, Lettie beating him after an hour and a half of playing. Around eleven, when everyone else had gone to bed, P.T. was still awake, reading the news. He heard something that sounded like crying from Anne's room and walked over to investigate. When he knocked on the door, Anne said, "Come in," so he gently opened the door. P.T. was surprised to see the lights on and Anne sitting in bed crying. He walked over to see what was the matter, asking Anne if anything was wrong. Anne sniffled in reply. P.T. sat on the bed next to her and put his arm around Anne's shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asked Anne again. Anne turned to look at him, trying to calm down enough to talk.

"I'm worried," she finally managed.

"About what?" P.T. asked her. Anne took a deep breath.

"It's Phillip," Anne said quietly. "I haven't heard anything from him since last Wednesday, when he told me he was going to try and smooth things over with his parents. It's not like him to just disappear, and no one else has seen him since then either." Anne blew her nose with her handkerchief.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," P.T. told her, "but for now you should try to get some sleep—it's pretty late." Anne nodded, and P.T. stood up to leave.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked one more time. Anne nodded, so he stepped outside and closed the door, heading upstairs to go to bed.

Very early the next morning, Anne woke up to a loud noise. At first she thought it was just thunder, since it was raining hard, but the noise continued persistently. She checked the watch she kept on her bedside table—it was 5:30 in the morning. She sighed and laid back down, but she heard the noise again. It almost sounded like someone knocking on the door. She got up, opened the door and walked out of the room. The knocking continued, louder in the front hall. Anne unlocked the door and pulled it open to reveal a very wet, tired Phillip Carlyle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Phillip! What's wrong? Why are you so wet?" Anne asked, jumbling her words together in her excitement. She pulled Phillip inside and helped him take off his coat. Just then, P.T. came down the stairs.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Phillip?" Phillip offered a weak smile.

"Hi P.T.," he said tiredly. "Mind if I stay the night here? I've been kicked out of my parents' house because they said I'm supposed to 'grow up' and 'have my own productive life,' now that I'm 28."

"Sure," P.T. told him. "But first, you should get out of those wet clothes and get something to eat. Do you want to borrow something to wear while your clothes dry?" he asked. Phillip nodded.

"Thanks, P.T.," he said. P.T. came back downstairs after a few minutes with a stack of clean clothes. He handed them to Phillip, who disappeared into the bathroom to change. Meanwhile, Anne put the kettle on to boil for coffee and pulled out some food. Phillip came in and sat down at the table.

"Do you want some coffee?" Anne asked him. Phillip nodded gratefully and accepted the steaming mug from Anne. He drank the coffee quietly and accepted another.

"What's wrong?" P.T. finally asked. Phillip laughed hollowly.

"My parents," he said. "They want to disown me if I keep associating with 'that Barnum business.' They think you're a—"

"Oh gee, maybe a purveyor of the offensive and indecent?" Anne suggested, smiling. Phillip weakly smiled back at her.

"Exactly," he said.

"But why do you care what they think, Phil?" Anne asked him.

"Because if they disown me, I won't have anything, and I refuse to have you all worried about me when you really should be taking care of everyone else. I hate being a burden on you just because I can't pretend to be like my parents so they don't disown me." Phillip finished.

"Phillip," P.T. began. Phillip looked over at him. "You do know that we don't mind taking care of you, right? Charity loves you like her own child, and Caroline and Helen think of you as a big brother. You're welcome here anytime you want. You're not a burden, Phillip," he said. Phillip smiled.

"Thanks, P.T. You have no idea how much this means to me," he said. Anne and P.T. smiled back at him.

"We're glad to have you," P.T. said. He checked the time on his watch. "Shoot! It's almost six!" he said. "I have to wake up the girls!"

"What for?" Phillip asked.

"Dance camp at 7:30," P.T. said ruefully. "And no, I don't know why they want to go to dance camp." He got up from the table and ran upstairs. Anne looked at Phillip.

"Caroline and Helen are going to be very excited you're here," Anne said. Phillip grinned.

Just then, the girls came racing down the stairs.

"I win!" Caroline cried triumphantly at the bottom of the stairs. Helen ignored her, running past her straight into Phillip.

"Mr. Phillip!" she squealed. "You're here!" Phillip smiled at her.

"Yes I am," he said. "And how are you, Miss Helen?" he asked. She didn't get a chance to answer though, because Caroline had run into Phillip and was hugging him as hard as she possibly could.

"We missed you!" she said. "Why did you have to leave?" Caroline put her hands on her hips and looked up at him, obviously waiting for an answer. Phillip smiled at her.

"It's a bit of a long story, Miss Caroline, and you need to eat," he said. "I'll tell you later, I promise." He grabbed a plate of bagels from the counter and set them down on the table. "Now eat quickly or you'll be late to your…uh…dance thing," he told them. P.T. looked at him.

"They adore you," he said. Phillip smiled.

"That is true," he said. Anne walked over from the table.

"Phillip," she said in a sing-songy voice, a huge smile on her face.

"What?" Phillip asked her. "Oh shoot! Is it P.T. and Charity's anniversary? Did I forget?" Anne laughed.

"It's your birthday, Phil!" Phillip's confused expression only made her laugh harder.

"It is?" he asked. "What's today?" Just then, Lettie walked into the kitchen.

"It's January third, why?" she answered him. Phillip's face reddened.

"You forgot your birthday?" P.T. said, laughing.

"Um… yes, apparently," Phillip replied. He grinned. "Oops."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

After some debate, Anne and P.T. convinced Phillip to take the day off of work and go with Anne for a picnic at the beach. They decided they would pack a lunch, go to the open-air market to get Phillip a birthday present, and then go down to the beach for lunch. They packed a basket full of cake and set out.

At the market, Anne surprised Phillip with a new scarf and a bar of chocolate. He opened the chocolate immediately and they ate it on the way to the beach.

At the beach, they had lunch and waded in the (absolutely freezing) water. Around 5:30, they were too cold to continue, so they packed up their things and headed home. When they were only about a half-mile away from the house, however, disaster struck.

"Hey! Circus freaks!" a man shouted as they were walking down the street towards the house.

"Ignore them," Anne whispered to Phillip. More people began to jeer as Anne and Philip walked faster.

"Freaks!"

"Weirdos!"

"Misfits!"

Four scruffy-looking men approached them. "Hey freaks," the man in front, obviously the leader, said drunkenly, directing the words at Anne. Phillip bristled angrily.

"Excuse us. Would you mind moving so we could get by, please?" Anne asked politely, trying to stay calm.

"Why should I? I won't take orders from you, circus weirdo!" the man yelled.

Phillip punched him in the face. The man cried out and kicked at him. Before anyone could say a word, the three other men joined the fight. Phillip pushed Anne to the side so she wouldn't get hurt and kept fighting, but he was outnumbered. After about thirty seconds, he had taken two of the men down and was about to hit the third when the leader came from behind and kicked him. Phillip flew forward onto the side of the road. The men sauntered away, cursing and obviously pleased with themselves, as Anne rushed over to Phillip. She pulled him over onto his back. He was unconscious and covered in blood, but alive.

"Phil? Phillip! Phillip, wake up!" Anne half-shouted, half-sobbed. "Phillip, please wake up!" Phillip stirred and his eyes fluttered open.

"I'm okay," he said hoarsely. "It's okay, Anne."

"Phil? Can you—" Anne started, but she was interrupted by a fit of coughing from Phillip. "Phil! Please don't die!"

"I won't die, Anne. I promise," Phillip said weakly. He tried to sit up, but fell back because of a sharp pain in his chest. _Great, a broken rib_ , he thought. "Can you help me up?" he asked. Anne nodded. They slowly pulled him into a sitting position, Phillip unsuccessfully ignoring the pain.

"Do you think you can walk if I support you?" Anne asked him. Phillip nodded. Anne helped him stand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They slowly made their way back to the house as it began to rain.

When they got home an hour later, they were wet, cold, and muddy. Anne knocked on the door as hard as she could without jostling Phillip. W.D. opened the door.

"Anne? Phillip? What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's a long story," Anne said, "but Phillip needs a doctor as soon as possible. Can we come in?" W.D. nodded, grabbing some towels and helping Phillip and Anne pull off their wet coats. They helped Phillip over to the couch, laying him down just as P.T. walked in holding his umbrella. He immediately ran over to see what was the matter.

"Phillip? he asked. "What happened?"

"Some stupid drunks said some stupid things, there was a fight, and… yeah," Anne summarized for him. Phillip nodded in agreement, then winced.

"We may need a doctor," he told P.T. "I think I may have a broken rib."

"I'll go," said P.T. quickly. "Tell Charity where I went, I'll be back soon," he told them as he pulled on his coat and disappeared into the storm.

Half an hour later, P.T. arrived with the doctor. W.D. and Anne had helped Phillip into dry clothes to prevent hypothermia, but he was in a lot of pain and wasn't talking much. Everyone was eating dinner in the kitchen, but Anne would never dream of leaving Phillip. When the doctor came in, he introduced himself as Dr. Carter. He was exceedingly polite and very kind, especially to Anne and W.D. When Anne explained what had happened, he quietly listened until she was done. After examining Phillip, the doctor concluded that he did have a broken rib, but no other serious injuries and that he would recover within a few weeks. Anne let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The doctor bandaged Phillip's rib and told them to send a message if it still hurt after two weeks. After he left, Phillip seemed to relax a little, although he was still obviously in a lot of pain. Anne helped him eat some soup and sat with him for a few hours, trying to distract him from the pain. He finally told her that she should go get some sleep, but Anne refused to leave. She ended up sleeping on the floor next to the couch.

The next morning, Phillip wasn't much better. He stayed on the couch all day, still in pain but too stubborn to say anything about it. Over the next three weeks, he slowly recovered enough to walk around some, and by the fourth week he was almost completely better. He started going back to the circus every day with Anne, trying to make up for lost time and paperwork, and slowly became his old self again. One day, after they had gotten home and were playing cards, there was a knock on the door.

"What was that?" Anne asked. "No one ever comes here." There was another knock.

"I'll get it," said Phillip, climbing up from a game of Go Fish with Caroline and Helen.

"It's okay," said Anne. She opened the door, revealing the postman holding a letter. "Thank you!" she said as he walked away. She examined the envelope. "Oh, it's for you, Phillip," she said, passing him the letter. Phillip raised his eyebrows.

"Who sent me a letter? I thought I was disowned and I didn't exist anymore," he told Anne jokingly. He pulled open the envelope—and gasped. The letter read:

 _February 2_

 _Phillip:_

 _Your mother and I have talked, and we have decided that this is for the best. We are officially disowning you, effective immediately. None of your things, including your bank accounts, belong to you anymore. You may never set foot on our property again. If you do, we will call the police. You are not our son anymore._

— _John D. Carlyle_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Anne couldn't believe her eyes. Phillip— _disowned_? How could anyone do such a thing to their only child, especially someone as smart and kind as Phillip? She heard Phillip trying not to cry and put her arm around his shoulders. Caroline and Helen looked at them quizzically, wondering what had happened to upset Phillip this much. Phillip _never_ cried. Ever. His hand fell to the floor, giving them a glimpse of the letter. Caroline was the first to figure it out, and quietly explained the situation to her sister, who promptly sat down next to Phillip and held his hand. Phillip made an effort to stop crying, at least for now. He dried his face and stood up as Charity came in to tell everyone that dinner was ready.

At dinner, Phillip was much quieter than usual, only speaking when spoken to. P.T. and Charity were puzzled by how quiet he was.

"Are you alright, Phillip?" Charity asked him. He nodded at the same time that Anne mouthed, _not right now_ , to Charity. She nodded in understanding and didn't say anything else about it during the meal.

After dinner, Phillip and Anne played a game of cards with Caroline and Helen until their bedtime. When Charity came to put them to bed, they put away the cards and said goodnight to the girls. A few minutes later, Charity came back downstairs and into the living room, sitting down on the couch.

"Phillip," she started. "I know something's bothering you. What's wrong?" Phillip sighed and handed her the letter. Her eyes skimmed over it and she put it down.

"Oh Phillip," she said sadly, looking at him. "I knew you were never on great terms with them, but I know how you feel. I was disowned by my parents when I ran away with Phin—they thought me associating with him would be detrimental to their social status. They're small minded people. You learn not to care what they think, Phillip," she told him.

"Yes, but they're my parents. I never thought… that they would just stop loving me," Phillip told her. He felt tears spring to his eyes and blinked unsuccessfully to make them go away. Anne squeezed his hand.

"We love you. You're our family," she told him. "P.T. and Charity think of you as a son, and the girls adore you." Charity nodded.

"But I can't just stay here," he said, tears slipping down his face. "I don't have any money or a way to support myself, and I can't—"

"Phillip," Charity interjected. "You can stay here with us a long as you need to. You're a son to Phin and me. We don't mind having you, in fact, we're more than happy to let you stay. We love you, Anne loves you, and Caroline and Helen simply adore you. We won't make you go live on the streets—it's the opposite of what we do here," she finished. Phillip smiled through his tears.

"Thanks, Charity," he said. Charity hugged him.

"You're welcome," she said. She stood up and walked out of the room towards the kitchen, leaving Phillip and Anne together in the living room. Anne scooted closer to Phillip and took his face in her hands.

"Phil?" she said.

"Yes?" Phillip answered.

"I love you whether you're disowned or not. You know that, right?" Phillip smiled.

"Yes I do," he told her. She snuggled up against him, and they both fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Anne's birthday was in four days, so Phillip asked P.T. and Charity for some help planning a party. They were happy to help, although P.T.'s enthusiasm was slightly dampened when Charity vetoed fireworks because they might set the trees in the backyard on fire. They eventually decided to have a small celebration on her birthday (small being relative, as all the performers would be there) and then Phillip would take her to the theater for a hopefully quiet evening.

The day of Anne's birthday dawned clear and cool. When Anne woke up, she walked into the living room and found a note that said:

 _Anne:_

 _Come outside!_

— _Phillip_

She walked out back—and was almost blown back inside by the entire circus yelling, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNE!"

Phillip walked up to her and led her to the middle of the yard, where a large cake was waiting. Everyone started singing, and Anne smiled at Phillip.

"Thanks, Phil," she said. Phillip smiled back at her.

"You're welcome. Now, you need to blow out the candles, everyone's waiting." Anne turned around and saw everyone standing behind the cake expectantly. She blew out all the candles and everyone cheered. P.T. and Charity began to slice and serve the huge cake and distribute it to everyone. Caroline and Helen ran inside and came out a minute later with a large wrapped package addressed to 'Miss Anne.' Anne accepted the package from them with a smile, tearing it open to reveal a new green dress. She hugged the girls.

"Thank you! It's beautiful!" she told them.

"I helped Lettie make it!" said Helen, smiling widely. Anne smiled back at her.

"And you can wear it tonight to the—" Caroline started, but was interrupted by Phillip.

"Caroline! What did we tell you about tonight?"

"It's supposed to be a surprise," she said sheepishly. "Sorry, Mr. Phillip." Phillip smiled at her.

"It's okay," he said. "But no more spoiling surprises, Miss Caroline!" Caroline and Helen giggled and ran off to get more cake.

"What's supposed to be a surprise?" Anne asked him.

"You'll see," he said.

"Phil! Please?" Anne asked. "Please please please?"

"Oh fine," said Phillip, grinning. He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and presented it to Anne. She tore it open, revealing two tickets to a play at the theater downtown.

"Hopefully we won't run into my parents again," Phillip said sheepishly. Anne laughed.

"I'll just ignore them," she told him. "And no fighting this time, even if people are jerks—it's frowned upon in high society." Phillip grinned.

"Do I have to?" he asked. Anne nodded.

"Fighting is not allowed, Phil. If you get in a fight, the upper classes would see us as _uncivilized circus weirdos_. Wouldn't that be _horrible_?" she teased. Phillip laughed.

"It would be _so_ terrible to be seen as _uncivilized_ by high society," he agreed in a mock serious voice. "We might be _ridiculed_ —oh wait… we already are! So fighting is okay!" Anne laughed again.

"No it's not, Phil. We could be _arrested_. Then we would bring _shame_ upon our _families_."

"Bringing shame upon my family is my specialty! When can we start?" Phillip asked excitedly. Anne laughed at him.

"But we're your family," she said. "You don't want to bring shame on us, do you?" Phillip pretended to think about it.

"No, I suppose not," he said.

"So…" Anne prompted.

"No fighting," he reluctantly agreed.

"Fantastic," Anne said. "Now look out!" She pushed a piece of cake into his face. He opened his mouth and ate it just in time, but still ended up with frosting all over his shirt.

"Hey! You could've killed me!" he said jokingly. "What if you had poked my eye out with your fork?"

Anne wore an expression of pure innocence on her face. "You know I don't like frosting, Phil," she said. Phillip raised his eyebrows, causing Anne to burst out laughing. Just then, Lettie came over to join them.

"What happened?" she asked. "Phillip? Why do you have frosting on your shirt?" Anne adopted the innocent expression again.

"Anne," Lettie said, trying to hide her amusement. "What did you do?" Anne grinned sheepishly.

"I don't like frosting, Lettie," she said. Phillip raised his eyebrows and all three dissolved into laughter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Anne put the finishing touches on her hair. She was almost ready to go to the theater, something she had wanted to do ever since she was little. And, she got to go with Phillip, so it would be even more fun. Also, he had assured her that his parents had come to a five o'clock show once in his living memory, so there was a less than a one percent chance of seeing them there. To say that Anne was excited would be a tremendous understatement. She pinned the last curl into place and headed out the door to meet Phillip. When she walked into the front hall, he was waiting for her.

"Wow. You look great," he said. Anne smiled.

"Thanks. Are we ready?" she asked. He nodded, and they walked the ten blocks to the theater. When they arrived, Anne pulled Phillip aside.

"Remember, if people are jerks, ignore them, Phil. Okay?" Phillip nodded, and they entered the theater.

Whenever Anne caught a glimpse of the theater, it took her breath away, and this time was no different. She smiled at Phillip, who took her hand, and they started up the steps.

The play was fantastic. Anne loved everything about it—the costumes, the music, and especially the food. Everything was wonderful. Even Phillip was excited because of her enthusiasm, and he had seen this play more times than he could count.

When the play was over, Phillip gave Anne a tour of the whole theater before they left. As they were walking down the stairs to leave, however, they heard a loud, angry voice.

"Phillip!" Phillip turned around, startled—and saw his parents standing behind him on the stairs. He turned back around to leave, but his mother stopped him.

"Phillip. Listen to your father," she said. Anne laughed harshly, recognizing the Carlyles from the hospital.

"His father?" she asked. "When you're disowned, you don't have parents. They don't acknowledge your existence. Since you disowned Phillip, I don't think you have the right to call him your son."

"You dare to—" Phillip's father started, but Anne interrupted him.

"Yes. I do dare to speak to you that way. Just because my skin is darker than yours doesn't mean I'm not as good, but that's not the point. You were complete jerks to your only son, and that's not easily forgivable. When he got the letter from you telling him he was disowned, he was devastated. I can't believe anyone would ever do such a thing to their only son. You say you're his parents, but no parents would ever treat their child that way. No decent people would treat _anyone_ that way. So we're leaving, and I hope I never see either of you ever again, and I really mean it this time," Anne finished. Phillip's parents were stunned. His mother dropped her purse onto the stairs in shock.

"Goodbye," Phillip said, smiling. His father was livid.

"Get out of my sight!" he roared, pushing Phillip back. Phillip stumbled, but caught himself. Anne, holding his hand, skidded and tried to catch herself, but she slipped and tumbled down the stairs. Phillip gasped and rushed down to her as his parents continued walking up the stairs. She was lying at the bottom, unmoving. When he reached her, she was unconscious but still breathing. As he looked around for someone who could help, P.T. rushed in the door.

"Phillip!" he said. "What happened?" He looked up at P.T. and saw his shocked face, then looked back down at Anne. She was now lying in a pool of blood, her face ashen. The color drained from Phillip's face.

"Can you get a carriage?" he asked P.T. P.T. nodded and ran outside. He came back in after a minute and told her that one was here now. He gently lifted Anne and carried her to the carriage, laying her head on Phillip's lap. The sight of all the blood made Phillip slightly sick, but he resolved to be strong for Anne. P.T. jumped back out of the carriage.

"I'll get the others. Are you alright?" he asked. Phillip nodded, trying to be braver then he felt, and P.T. dashed off into the night.

The ride seemed to take forever, but Anne still didn't wake up. Phillip grew more and more worried until they finally reached the hospital. He pushed open the carriage door and gently lifted Anne into his arms to carry her inside, but a group of men came out with a stretcher to bring her in. He followed, nervously praying that she would be alright. They brought Anne into a small room off of the main hallway and assured Phillip the doctor would be there shortly. He sat in a chair next to the bed, holding her hand, tears slowly slipping down his face. He waited what seemed like hours before a nurse came in to clean Anne up for the doctor to come. He walked outside to wait until the nurse came out, looking grave, but she wouldn't tell him what was wrong. Phillip sat back down beside Anne, now in a hospital gown, to wait again.

The doctor came in, and Phillip gasped in surprise when it was none other than Dr. Carter. He smiled when he saw Phillip, but quickly grew somber as he looked at Anne. When he had finished, he asked Phillip if he wanted to leave. Phillip tried to stay to be there for Anne, but as soon as he saw the bloody bandages, he had to change his mind. He paled and asked the doctor to get him when he was done, then bolted out.

While he was waiting, he was almost knocked over by W.D. rushing into the waiting room.

"Where's Anne?" he asked Phillip, obviously worried about what had happened. Phillip pointed toward the closed door.

"She's in there," he told W.D. As W.D. rushed in the door, a waft of chemical-scented air rushed into the room. Phillip curled back up on his chair, hoping Anne was okay.

When the doctor was finished, he came out to explain what had happened. Anne had broken two of her ribs and gotten a nasty scrape on her head, but her lungs had suffered no damage. He told Phillip to ask a nurse if Anne needed anything. Phillip nodded and sat back down next to Anne, holding her hand and willing her to wake up. By unspoken agreement, he and W.D. had decided to take shifts to watch Anne. W.D. fell asleep first, so Phillip stayed awake next to Anne.

He fell asleep sometime during the night, and woke up on a cot next to the bed. He found a note from Charity on the bedside table.

 _Phillip and W.D.:_

 _If you need anything, we're at the circus. I am coming to visit around nine this morning. I hope you're alright._

— _Charity_

Phillip checked his pocket watch, now clean and sitting on top of his clothes. It was ten til nine, so he sat back down to wait for Charity. She walked in a few minutes later.

"Hi Phillip," Charity said quietly. W.D. stayed silent, looking at Anne. Phillip looked up and tried to muster a smile, but could only nod in reply. "I brought you some coffee," Charity told them, placing two cups on the bedside table. Phillip accepted the coffee gratefully.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" W.D. asked. Charity nodded, and Phillip was finally able to give her a small smile.

"Do you want me to wait with you?" Charity inquired. "Or I can come back later." Phillip and W.D. shrugged.

"If you have stuff to do, don't let us stop you," W.D. told Charity.

"Okay. I have a few errands, but I'll be back after lunch," she responded. Phillip and W.D. smiled at her.

"Thank you," Phillip said, and Charity smiled back.

"You're welcome," Charity told him as she slipped out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Phillip and W.D. waited at the hospital for the rest of the day. Charity came that evening to check on them and ask if they wanted to go home, but they stubbornly refused to leave. Phillip found a cot and some blankets for W.D. and they went to bed, each taking turns staying awake to wait for Anne to wake up.

Around one in the morning, Phillip dozed off in his chair. Around six in the morning, however, he awoke with a start at a quiet whimper from the bed. Anne had evidently tried to sit up, but had fallen back onto the bed because of the pain. She was quietly trying to move to a more comfortable position, but also trying not to wake up Phillip. As she saw that Phillip had woken up, she instantly looked apologetic.

"Sorry Phillip," she whispered hoarsely. Phillip smiled at her.

"It's okay. I wasn't supposed to fall asleep anyway," he said, grinning. "Hey W.D., Anne's awake," he called. W.D. ran over to the bed, then pulled Anne into a hug. Anne groaned, prompting W.D. to release her.

"Sorry Anne," he said sheepishly. Anne laughed quietly.

"It's okay W.D., I'm fine," she told him. Phillip raised his eyebrows.

"Well, mostly fine," she amended, smiling. Phillip laughed. Someone knocked at the door. "Come in!" Anne hollered. It came out as more of a whisper, but the door opened anyway, admitting a very tired-looking P.T.

"Hi P.T.," Anne chirped, the most awake out of the four of them.

"Morning Anne," he replied. "How are you?" Anne grinned.

"Depends on your interpretation of 'fine'," Phillip told him.

"I'll live," Anne told him. P.T. laughed.

"Don't tell anyone," he said quietly, "but I brought these for you so you don't starve on the hospital food." He pulled out a box of donuts, and Anne gasped in happy surprise. She reached out for the donuts, wincing as she sat up. Phillip caught her and gently helped her sit back onto the pillows, then P.T. set the box of donuts on the bed. She happily pulled a chocolate one out and offered the box to everyone else. When her face was covered in frosting and she had finished the donut, she smiled.

"Thanks, P.T.," she said. "These are good donuts." P.T. smiled.

"You're welcome," he said, offering her the last donut. "Now someone needs to eat this donut so I can get rid of the evidence." Anne happily obliged, taking the donut, and P.T. put the box on a chair in the corner and draped his coat over it as a nurse came in to check on Anne.

"Good morning," Anne told her. The nurse smiled at her and made some notes, then left. Anne shrugged.

"Did I have chocolate on my face?" she asked Phillip. Phillip inspected her, then shook his head. The door opened again, and the doctor came in.

"Good morning," he said. "Are you feeling any better, Anne?" he asked. Anne nodded.

"Can I leave today?" she asked. The doctor thought for a minute, then nodded. Anne grinned.

"Thanks!" she said.

"Just take it easy," he told her. "Got that?" he asked the others, who nodded. He smiled and walked out, and P.T. sighed in relief.

"Okay then, I'll see you all at home. I need to get this donut box out of here before anyone finds it," he told them. He put on his coat, burying the donut box under it, and everyone laughed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

When Phillip, Anne, and W.D. arrived at the house, they were greeted by a very enthusiastic Helen.

"Hi everyone! I made cake!" she hollered, racing towards them and enveloping them all in a huge(ish) hug. She led them inside to the kitchen, where there were in fact an army of cakes waiting on the table for frosting. She pulled a stack of plates from the cupboard and dished cake onto each one, adding a blob of frosting on the top of each one. Anne tasted hers.

"Is it good?" Helen asked worriedly. Anne laughed.

"It's wonderful!" Anne told her. Helen grinned. She looked over at W.D. and Phillip, who had both eaten their cake in record time. Phillip looked sheepishly at Anne.

"Sorry," he said. "Hospital food is terrible." Anne laughed.

Later that night, Lettie hosted a War tournament, where Anne handily but good-naturedly beat everyone. Afterwards, they stayed up late talking. After Anne had gone to bed, Phillip signaled for everyone else to stay a little longer so he could ask them something. When he was finished explaining everything, everyone agreed to be there in the morning.

"And don't tell Anne, okay? It's a surprise!" he finished. They filed out quietly to go to bed. On the way out, W.D. stopped Phillip.

"Good luck," he said, then left smiling. Phillip stared after him. Did he really have to make Phillip feel any worse? He shrugged and went to bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Anne slept in the next morning, so when she woke up, light was streaming through the windows. She threw on her dress that was draped over the chair and walked outside, heading for the kitchen. On her way, however, she noticed that everyone was in the living room instead of the kitchen.

 _That's odd_ , she thought. She detoured into the living room, where everyone seemed to be waiting for her. It was awkwardly quiet, as if they were waiting for something.

"Anne?" Phillip said, breaking the silence. He seemed nervous, but Anne wasn't sure why.

"Um… this may seem a bit sudden, but… uh… will you marry me?" he asked. He looked terribly scared with everyone watching.

"Oh Phil!" Anne exclaimed. "Of course!" Phillip's face broke into the biggest grin Anne had ever seen as she pulled him into her arms and they kissed. The room broke into applause.

Later that night, Phillip and Anne finally had some peace and quiet to themselves.

"Are you sure about this? You really want… me?" Phillip asked Anne. She smiled.

"Of course, Phil." she said, looking up at him. "I want something just like this _."_

* * *

 _Author's note: I hope you liked it! Another longer story coming soon!_


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